por 6 Long Report 1862 of the employment of children in the potteries.

This work is a totally one off as it covers extracts from 1714 regulations of the Spittals Workhouse, Stoke-upon-Trent relating to the admission, cleansing, disinfecting clothing and searching of inmates for any valuables.

It describes the experiences on admission to the Institution, articles of value found upon the inmate shall were deposited with the Master, any money or value security in his possession will be used to off-set their maintenance within the institution.

It continues to list the items that are prohibited such as Cards or Dice, Letters, articles or written or printed matter of an obscene or improper character. The reference to the bathing of inmates is quite scary. This is an early view of life in 1714 under the Old Poor Law of Elizabeth I and an eye-opener again to the treatment of inmates both male and female.

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por 2 Christmas in the workhouse.

£2.00

This article relating to how Christmas was celebrated at the Stoke-upon-Trent workhouse compared with that of the Wolstanton and Burslem workhouse which was situated in the north of the city at Chell.

Each Christmas was almost a re-run of the previous year. The height of the day would be roast beef and plumb pudding. Ar the Stoke workhouse, this was served by the govenor and staff, whist at Chell they always celebrated Christmas on the 26th why – because the staff wanted the day off with their families. A gift for the women would be a small packet of tea and sugar while the men had tobacco. The young children had a mixture of treats normally donated by the shop keepers of the nearby town.

The afternoos is where entertainment was brought into the workhouse, which provided a much needed rest from the normal works of the day. As usual the govenor finished the day off with prayers in addition to saying Grace before the meal was served.

Two pages A4

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por 1 1864 the Arlidge medical report.

£4.00

This government report is a major contribution to the health issues of the times and the state of the potteries. A huge contribution to the social and health issues of the potteries and the industrial illnesses and deaths as a result of the time.

On the Sanitary State of the Staffordshire Potteries, with especial reference to that of the Potters as a class, their Mortality, and the Diseases ;prevalent among them. By J. T. Arlidge, M.J3. and A.13 Lond., M.K.C.P. Lond., Senior Physician to the ‘North Staffordshire Infirmary, formerly Physician to the West London Hospital,

Great help to Humanities students and social working conditions.

Report PDF Fifteen Pages

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por 7 Scriven Report 1843 of the employment of children in the potteries.

£12.00

The Scriven Report of 1843 is the report that has received most attention in analysing the life of children in the potteries, many working long hours for just a few pence jus to avoid the family having to go into the workhouse. It contains the same methodology as the later contribution of Mr. Longe in 1862, nineteen years later.

This report was probably the best known of its time for the examination of working conditions for children taking statements from many of the children. In addition, interviews were taken from supervisors, department heads, managers, master potters and company bosses and therefore is the finest examination of working conditions on the 1840 used by scholars, university humanities and economic students as well as those looking into the causes of illness and deaths within the industry.

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por 5 Education, Care and Wellbeing of Children in the Spittals workhouse.

£10.00

This is a major study of how children were treated in the workhouse and includes all aspects of their daily routine and life. From education, religious worship, discipline, occupational training and the preparation of trades of playing a musical instrument following workhouse life. Again, this is a huge contribution to the social history of the time and based entirely upon factual research.

There are thirty-nine A4 pages and over 18,000 words.

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por 18 Treatment of the sick in the Parish Hospital 1858.

£2.00

Few if any historians have approached this subject on the basis that few workhouses had little provision for the sick. At Stoke upon Trent workhouse as early as 1842 provision was made both for inmates but also for the parish community outside as no other facility had yet been provided. The Stoke upon Trent Hospital was erected in a central position with the workhouse and the building still remains as listed by English Heritage.

The study starts from the first thoughts of providing this facility, the number and descriptions of rooms and wards. Focus is made on one report that has survived and stored in the National Archives. It’s a complaint by someone in the community who wrote to the poor law in London to complain how he had been treated. Mention was made of his time in a lunatic ward, having to share a double bed with five other sick inmates – the list is endless and would make good reading for all who are keen to learn of the early years of medicine and the treatment of patients in workhouses.

two x A4 pages